Darkness and Daylight: 100 Themes of Ed and Envy
by Rowana Renee
Summary: Because I can't resist playing with them. I haven't really seen anyone do a brotherly take on these two, so I thought it would be fun to put that kind of spin on these characters. That, and the challenge from Moonlit Water Sunny River on the Fully Combustive Material forum was the perfect opportunity to get started. These contain whump, angst, fluff...pretty much everything.
1. Opposing Forces

**This is my first proper foray into the Fullmetal Alchemist fandom, so I apologise in advance for anything stupid you find in these oneshots. Basically, these will be my response to the challenge issued by Moonlit Water Sunny River, which was to do a hundred themes of Ed and Envy. Just to let you guys know, I don't really do shippings in this fandom, so none of these will be Edvy unless you really really want to see them that way. These will be pretty much every genre except romance. And my awkward babbling is probably annoying any readers I might have, so let me wrap up this note with: I am totally and completely all for Con-Crit. So, if you see anything wrong in any of these drabbles, be it characterisation or spelling, TELL ME. I don't want to have a crappy story (To the extent that I can possibly avoid writing anything that isn't crappy) so if there's a problem, do point it out to me so I can fix it. ^_^**

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1. Opposing Forces

Everything with him is a paradox.

Life created from death, for one thing. Well, a sort of life, anyway. It depended on how you'd define 'life', really...

He drives home again and again, muted pain flaring through his hands with every movement. The lifeless figure beneath him makes no sound, only stares up at him through clouded eyes, looking dazed, far beyond the point of fighting back. Blood sprays, dripping into his eyes and thickening rapidly, warm at first, but turning into a cold and sticky mess as time passes. It feels good, would feel better if it got a reaction.

Something hurts, somewhere inside him, but he ignores it. It's just another paradox.

He loves beating the whelp, thrashing him senseless until the stream of pitiful insults comes to a complete stop, replaced with heavy breathing and concentrating on getting out alive. It had started out as a fight, and a reasonably fair one at that. With the pipsqueak doing everything in his power to come out on top. But, gradually, as the fight progressed, it had become more and more obvious that there was _no way_ he'd be the one walking out of this.

At first, Envy had reveled in his victory, grin broadening when his foe had finally stopped fighting, laughing coldly at every grunt of pain as his fists kept raining down on his increasingly helpless opponent.

But it feels wrong, somehow.

He hates it, the clenching in his chest with every gasp, every halfhearted attempt to summon enough strength to carry on fighting. He wants his brother to scream, to beg him to stop...imagining those sounds has always brought a smile to his face. The thought also makes his skin crawl.

Brother..._brother_...

The word itself makes him feel sick.

But it's just another paradox.

It's pure chance that they share the same father, he thinks. And they don't really even share that. After all, Envy isn't really that man's _son_...is he? He's just the thing that got dragged out of the gate as a twisted representation of the taboo alchemists will always be stupid and arrogant enough to commit. But if that's the case, why does he harbour a special hatred for Hohenheim? An even more determined abhorrence of his...brother.

That word again. He growls through gritted teeth as it flutters across his mind.

If he were human, he supposed he would've had a rivalry of some sort with the shrimp. He knows most siblings frequently get into scraps, even act as if they all-out can't stand each other. But then, he also supposes that, if he were human...he'd be protecting his younger brother, not breaking every bone in his body and just hoping it'll make him cry.

But that's wrong, too. If he were human, Ed never would've been born. At least, not to Trisha Elric. Alphonse, either.

If he were human, odds were he wouldn't hate Hohenheim. Unless, in the strange world of what might have been, he _is_ Edward, at least in a way. There's nothing to say their situations wouldn't have been similar...

He wants to think he wouldn't be dumb enough to try bringing anyone back to life, but he's not _human_, so he doesn't know for sure.

His eyes soften against his will as he looks down at what he's done. Ed's barely breathing at this point, using every ounce of remaining strength to keep his eyes open. His hair isn't golden anymore, there's too much blood to call it that. His clothes are torn, stained in so many places. His automail is still attached, but he's not strong enough to even try alchemy at this point. Besides that, his flesh arm is mangled to such an extent that he probably can't move it anyway.

Envy's always thought that even his name is a paradox. He's never really envied anyone, in the traditional sense. He wants to take away everything they have, but couldn't care less if it becomes his or not. Yet, now, he feels something flickering to life in him, a feeling he detests.

At least his brother can die.

But he doesn't want to die, does he?

For a moment, he thinks he's going to start pounding the little wretch again, but he shoves it aside, opting instead to kneel, leaning down close, watching his brother's face carefully.

Neither of them _want_ to die, he knows. But they're both tired. They've been chasing shadows, he realises.

His brother wants something impossible, something absolutely impossible.

Envy, however, doesn't really even know _what_ he wants.

He attempts a sneer, but it doesn't quite turn out right as he speaks, voice a harsh whisper that's barely audible over the ragged sounds of his brother's breathing. "Remember this," he says softly, "So I can forget."

What sort of demon possesses him to do it, he can't put a name to, but an hour later finds him carrying the limp figure along a dark and empty street. He doesn't know or care where he's going, but eventually he comes to a door and, after not-so-carefully dropping Ed in front of it, pounds it until he thinks the wood will shatter. It probably won't do any good, and he shouldn't bother trying to be a hero all of a sudden anyway. After all, what's the sense in half killing someone if you're going to try to keep them alive afterwards? There are too many reasons why this doesn't make sense, but he can't help it.

He aims one more kick at Edward, just to make sure it's clear that absolutely nothing has changed- clear to at least one of them, that is- and turns away. He barely gets around the corner before the door is opened and there's no chance of going back until the next meeting, if there is one.

He wants to look back, but forces himself not to.

Instead, he keeps walking, wondering if he'll actually be able to forget this on any level. He doesn't notice that he's wearing his original face, or that the thought of being human is suddenly something he wants, really wants, all of a sudden.

He's not himself tonight, but he's more himself than he's ever been.

It doesn't matter, he reminds himself.

It's just another paradox.

* * *

**A/N: So, when I thought of Opposing Forces, I originally thought about doing an Ed VS. Envy fight scene, but couldn't figure out how to do it. So then I thought about it some more and realised that when I read the phrase Opposing Forces, I immediately think Paradox, because it's pretty much the same thing. Paradox being when something exists that really shouldn't, one way or another. And then this thing sort of wrote itself. **

**Anyways, please tell me (Politely, mind you) what's wrong with it, how cheesy it sounds, anything and everything. ^_^ **

**- your paranoid n00b of the fandom**


	2. Hate

**Thanks for the reviews! Gaaah I was so nervous...always nervous posting my first actual story in a fandom *teeth chatter to prove point* but I'm so glad you guys liked it! Here's the next one! ^_^  
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**By the way, this one (Kind of) picks up where the last one left off. **

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2. Hate

_"There's nothing in the world so sweet as love. And, next to love, the sweetest thing is hate."- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_

He sauntered back and forth in the darkness, unable to quell the growing sense of unease.

Damn it, damn it, damn it...he'd had the little brat's life in his hands, had the perfect chance to get rid of him...but something had stayed his hand. _Reasonably_, he knew, he could blame it on the fact that, _technically_, he wasn't _supposed_ to kill him yet. He was probably going to catch a lecture for roughing him up so much, especially if Edward actually died from his wounds, which was altogether likely.

So he could always lie and use the excuse that he had never meant to kill the brat anyway, that he'd gotten a little carried away while putting him in his place. But that wasn't it. Not even close.

He stopped pacing, gripping his head in both hands and growling, leaning back against the wall and putting as much venom as he could into his glower. The wall was cool against his mostly bare back, but did nothing to calm the hot fury coursing through his veins. He sighed, lowering his hands and looking down, gripping the bridge of his nose between his fingers in irritation.

"God, I hate you so much..." he murmured, trying to block out the mental picture of the blonde hair that was coated in red, the face that would be covered in scars and bruises for weeks to come, the torn lips, the broken bones sticking out at odd angles...

He hadn't washed the blood off of his hands, but he'd resumed his usual form before getting here- the pale, slender stranger with the long green hair and sharp features- and the blood had vanished with the previous coat of skin. It didn't seem to matter, though. He still felt it, caked between his fingers, sliding over him in coppery sheets, dripping in his eyes and running into his mouth, tasting of both pleasure and guilt.

"I didn't know you were a believer,"

He almost jumped at the familiar sultry voice. He honestly hadn't noticed her approach. He ground his teeth together so hard he thought they would shatter. "What do _you_ want, Lust?"

He didn't need light to see her humourless smile. She came close, close enough that he could almost feel her. She was annoyed, that much was clear. Did she already know what he'd done?

"You went after the alchemist," she said quietly, the usual seductive purr still present in her voice.

Envy rolled his eyes, moving away from the wall and flicking one hand as if to wave her off. "Yeah, well, I was bored. Not my fault he happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time..."

Lust narrowed her eyes. "You're always bored, Envy...you don't usually kill our-"

He turned around to fix her with a murderous stare. "It's done, okay? He'll live,"

"You _hope_ he'll live,"

He knew what she meant, that he'd be in serious trouble if the pipsqueak died, but that didn't stop another wave of guilt from making him go cold. It was a strange feeling, the regret he shouldn't be feeling. What right did that stupid punk have, making him feel like this? Making him _feel_? It was wrong in every sense of the word. His face burned, his chest aching in a way he wasn't the slightest bit comfortable with.

He wasn't human, he reminded himself, he didn't care, didn't feel. If anything, he should be glad he'd worked Fullmetal over so well. Not brother, not Edward, just Fullmetal. That was what the military was calling him, right? He didn't deserve a real name after all. He was just a pathetic human while Envy was a homunculus. There wasn't a thing wrong with what had happened.

Except the fact that Envy had probably saved his life.

And that Envy really did hope he lived. For all the wrong reasons.

His hands curled into fists, but he forced a grin and shrugged nonchalantly. "He'll be fine," he said, "He's not hurt _that_ bad...probably been through worse..."

He was hurt that badly, even if he had been through worse.

Envy closed his eyes as the image of his latest sin flashed in his mind once more.

Lust was staring at him, clearly unimpressed. "Oh, I have no doubt he'll make it," she replied, "You _did_ get him help almost as soon as you'd finished with him. I'm surprised you didn't bandage the injuries yourself."

For a split second, the entire room went from black to white as a furious mist passed in front of his eyes. "How do you know about that?" he snarled, not daring to look at her.

Had she been following him? It didn't seem likely. Even if they were practically related, the homunculi weren't a particularly chummy group. Some of them even actively fought each other. Gluttony seemed fairly amiable with Lust, but that was about it. For the most part, they merely tolerated each other.

"Please," the smile vanished, and he could almost hear her fingers elongating into claws, "of course I know about that...what I don't know is why. I know you don't like...him..." she knew better than to say the name if she wanted a coherent conversation, "and I would assume the dislike would carry over to the sons. At the very least, I expected you to leave him to whoever wanted him. Not carry him to safety."

Envy snorted, moving back to the wall. It was hard to tell if she was being hostile or curious. With her, it could probably go either way. Or both ways at once. "Ha...that bastard is mine, and both sons are mine. When we're done with him, he'll get much worse. I was only giving him a preview."

Saying it felt so wrong, the words barely making it past his lips. He wanted them to be true, knew they probably were true, but at the same time, they made him want to scream.

"Is that so?" she was giving him a half smile, head tilted to one side and fingers curled beneath her chin, other hand resting on her hip. "You don't sound so sure, Envy..."

He lifted his head about an inch, still not quite willing to look at her. "Is there a _reason_ you're here?"

Her laugh felt like a punch in the stomach. Not a normal punch, either, but a hard, rib-shattering punch that would leave him coughing up blood for at least a few hours. She tossed her head, gliding toward him until they were almost touching, her face eerily close to his, her voice a quiet, deceptive whisper. "I'm just wondering whose side you're really on, that's all."

He frowned, a nauseous feeling coming over him. He groaned suddenly and pushed her away, storming angrily toward the door. "There's nothing to worry about," he called back, "I hate him, plain and simple, and the second we don't need him anymore, I'll give him _hell_."

And he planned to, and hated himself for it.

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**A/N: So for this one, basically I decided that the last one felt a little unfinished, so I thought I'd do this one to tie it up. Not sure if it does a good job of that or not. But I thought Envy would probably 'hate' that he's actually concerned for Edo. ^_^ As before, let me know if there are any problems with it! **

**Side note: Lust is probably one of my top ten favourite characters. She probably doesn't sound right, but I figured she'd be the one most likely to come talk to Envy.**


	3. The Dawn

**For some reason, I thought this one would be super easy to write. That was before I remembered that I don't have headphones and thus can't blast the perfect soundtrack straight into my brain at unhealty volumes XD Oh well, let's just see what happens...this one isn't picking up where the last one left off, by the way ^_^**

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3. The Dawn

Technically, he supposed this would be called a stalemate. A tie. A 'cat got the game'. An impasse. A standoff, bottleneck, catch-22, dead-end. A fix, a standstill, a 'predicament', a whatever-the-hell you call it when you're both too tired to keep mauling each other.

It was too early in the morning for this trash.

Both of them were worn out, glowering at each other from only a few feet away, both trying- and failing. Failing epically- to stand up straighter than the other, breathe more evenly, stop their arms from shaking. Gold eyes burned into violet, daring him to come any closer, sending a clear message of, "That all you got?" when the rest of him was saying, "Oh god...I need a bed...so freakin' bad..."

Envy could actually relate.

The fight had started much earlier. Not a ridiculously long time ago, but it had definately been pitch black. Now the sun was showing the very first signs of coming up. Dawn. Like a scene from some sort of sick novel.

He would have laughed if he wasn't busy trying to remain on his feet.

"Hey, chibi-san! You don't look so good!" he taunted, flicking his hair back over his shoulder, grinning as wolfishly as he could. "What's the matter? Need a break?"

The alchemist's eyes narrowed and he took a threatening step forward.

And immediately found himself lying in a sprawled, twitching heap on the ground. He made a noise that was somewhere between a moan and a whine- Envy wasn't quite sure what it was, only that he could almost feel his own dignity levels dropping rapidly just looking at it. He almost felt sorry for Ed, after all, he wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he'd been the first to admit defeat.

Admit defeat...

Wait...

He swaggered closer, poking Ed with one toe. "Does this mean I win?" his eyes squinted shut as he flashed an open-mouthed grin, "because I really think it does."

Ed managed to open his eyes long enough to give a rather sinister glare, reaching over like some sort of half-busted robot and clamping a hand around Envy's ankle.

In Envy's defense, it was only because he was tired that he didn't realise what was about to happen. Not at all because he was too busy gloating to figure it out before the alchemist rolled away from him, dragging him down as well.

"Ugh...not done yet, you bi-polar palm tree," Edward hissed, "Just takin' a break, that's all..." his eyes went half-lidded and Envy, from his dazed and somewhat sulking position a few inches away, could've sworn he saw a sweatdrop, "maybe a long break..."

The homunculus snorted, but found that he couldn't have gotten up if he really wanted to, which he didn't. His limbs felt like lead. "Hm. Fine, chibi, but only because I like an actual challenge."

"Fine," came the growled reply, "If you _insist_."

"Ha! If _I_ insist! You were dead on your feet! If you need a break, then fine."

"Fine! You look exhausted anyway!"

Further replies deteriorated into growls of annoyance. If there was a point to this argument, Envy didn't know what it was. But for some reason he didn't want the Fullmetal Idiot to think he was the one needing a break. Because he wasn't. But, if little chibi Edo couldn't take anymore...well...there was no harm in grabbing a moment of quite on his enemy's time, was there?

He closed his eyes, ignoring the fact that being in this close of proxemity to Fullmetal without hurting him was annoying, tripping every one of his internal warning systems. He should be wringing the kid's neck.

Ed apparently felt the same way, because he gave an aggrivated groan and tried to move away.

Envy popped on eye open. "Hey...how long's this break gonna last, anyway?"

Edward froze, calculating how long, exactly, it would take. By Envy's estimation, he could never move again and would feel just fine. But, for the sake of practicality..."Five minutes."

"I'll give you ten." Envy replied carefully, "to make it fair."

The laugh wasn't quite the most annoying thing he'd ever heard...

"Fair? Since when do you...? Fine. I'll give you fifteen- you could use some beauty rest."

Envy considered turning into some sort of monster and just eating him. "I'll give you twenty. You're beat up pretty badly, maybe you'll bleed out and I won't have to deal with you."

"Grr...I'll let you have twenty-five. Maybe you can use the energy to run away while you still can."

"You could probably use around thirty, otherwise it'll be like fighting a corpse."

"Yeah, well, maybe you need thirty-five!"

Whether it was intoxication due to weariness, or genuine amusement at the ridiculousness of the situation, they both found themselves first smirking, then actually laughing. They still fully intended to rip each other limb from limb, of course, just...not right at the moment. The ground was hard, and didn't make the best bed ever, but it didn't particularly matter.

Ed gave Envy a sideways look, although the effect was lost due to the hair hanging in his eyes. "You're not gonna use this as a chance to murder me, are you?" he asked, suspicion dripping from his words.

Envy raised an eyebrow, regarding him carefully. "I could ask the same thing, chibi."

He watched the alchemist's eyes close again, the small shoulders moving in what looked like a shrug before Ed placed both hands behind his head, apparently content to stay where he was for the moment. "If you won't, I won't..."

"Just thirty-five minutes, right?"

He wondered if the noise he heard could even be considered a proper reply. He turned his head slightly, wondering where the sudden silence had come from. "Pipsqueak?" but he grinned a moment later- it looked like Ed had already fallen asleep, head falling to one side and mouth slightly open. He wondered if he could sneak away. He was tired from the fight, but homunculi didn't really _need_ sleep the way humans did. So, if he was caught here, passed out next to the full-tiny alchemist...he shuddered to think what the others would say.

Then again, he really didn't feel like moving. He hadn't slept in a long time, either. Not for several months, at the very least. So maybe a few minutes wouldn't hurt...besides that, the sun wasn't even up yet- he could only just see the faintest hints of orange beginning to show through. He could easily be awake and out of here before daylight.

"Just a few minutes..." he murmured.

_*~Around Noon~*_

The first thing he knew was wrong was the warmth on his face. The second warning came when he opened his eyes and immediately had to shut them again, blinking rapidly in unexpected sunlight. He'd overslept...that little brat had probably left already...Lust would know about this. He didn't know how, but she always seemed to know. He'd never hear the end of it, and-

Wait...what?

He tried to move his arm to cover his face, get some relief from the light.

But he _couldn't_ move his arm.

Envy groaned softly, shaking his head and finding that his neck had become stiff. Damn concrete...he waited until he was absolutely certain he was awake, then tried to sit up, only to freeze a second later.

Something was _touching_ him.

Well, not so much touching him as incircling him in a vice-like grip.

"Ah..._damnit_!" he hissed, closing his eyes tight, unwilling to look down. If he was feeling what he thought he was feeling...and there was next to no way it was something else that he was feeling...he didn't know whether to be furious or just humiliated as hell. He desperately hoped he was insane, had finally lost it, or maybe had a concussion he didn't know about that, for some strange reason, hadn't healed. Because _something_ was pressing on his left shoulder, and _something_ was wrapped firmly around his midsection. And part of it was cold.

Not a normal cold, either.

A metallic cold.

The slight tickle of hair under his chin was what convinced him to do two things.

First look, and then murder.

He gulped and tried not to moan in disgust when he finally wrenched his eyes open, hesitating for a brief moment before forcing them to coast down to...

Ugh...

He closed his eyes again, entire body stiffening with horror. The fullmetal runt had somehow moved closer in his sleep. Too close. By far, completely, entirely too close. Not only that, he'd snuggled right up, apparently deciding to use Envy as a pillow. And he was hugging that pillow, face buried in Envy's shoulder.

Envy wondered what would happen if he turned into something sharp...

Instead, he opted for leaping to his feet, watching with satisfaction as Ed crashed to the ground, blinking up at him and looking more confused than Envy had ever seen him. Slowly, the alchemist stood up, rubbing his eyes with his flesh hand and adjusting his coat with the other. "Oh..." he mumbled, voice heavy with sleep, "Y're st'll h'r..." he blinked again, harder this time, "Wha' happened?"

Envy glared at him.

The fight proceeded to resume as though no dawn had come, and nothing had gone amiss.

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**Hehe...terrible ending, I know. I wanted to do both a literal AND figurative dawn, but couldn't quite pull it off. So I'll probably do another one later, a standalone that will be posted in a different story, about how dawn is a better word than beginning for such and such, because dawn only comes after the previous night dies, while a beginning can happen without something else having to end in most cases. **

**Which is what I was going to do in this one, but I decided to go with entirely humour for this one. You can feel free to see it as Edvy if you want to, but I was just thinking of ways to annoy the living daylights out of my favourite homunculus...oh...poor Edo, though...if Envy ever decides to tell him...*Snickers* **


	4. What do you want?

**And, here's this one! This is another *Hopefully* funny one, and it's based off a conversation that I had while roleplaying both Envy and Ed for a friend. A friend that I'm trying to convince to watch Fullmetal Alchemist, by the way. So most of the dialogue comes from that ^_^ It's more parody than humour, and it's totally AU because it's also partly based on a chibi set that I drew...I saw that nervous glance at the back button, by the way XD**

**Also- feel free to picture everyone mentioned in this one...as a chibi...O.O**

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4. What do you Want?

Envy was sitting on the edge of a fountain, kicking his feet in the water somewhat distractedly.

It was a nice day, as far as days went. After all, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, the sky was clear, the grass was green...what more could anyone want? It looked like the perfect day for a family to be out on a picnic, or whatever human families did on fantastic days.

Envy leaned back a little, bracing his hands against the stone on either side of him and looking up at the sky, blinking softly. It only figured that he'd be bored on a day like this. There was a strange atmosphere hanging about, one that he didn't like at all. It was all...warm...sort of prickly, and he felt like he should be somewhere. That was the problem. He didn't know where exactly he was supposed to be.

He kicked the water a little harder than he'd meant to and glared down at it.

His reflection glared back, distorted though it was by ripples.

The homunculus narrowed his eyes, leaning closer. He was that bored- he'd settle for anything, even if it was just a staring contest with-

"ARG!" he yelped as something touched his back. A fight? He hoped so. Envy stood up quickly, turning to face his attacker and falling smoothly into a fighting stance just as-

Alphonse Elric?- took a step back, wearing a sheepish grin and waving his newly-human hands in attempt to avoid actual confrontation. "Oh, I'm sorry! Did I startle you?" the voice was insanely polite, as always.

Envy cursed mentally. "What do _you_ want?" he spat as much venom as he possibly could into the words, half hoping Al would just leave. Half hoping he wouldn't. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this pathetically bored.

Al's eyebrows furrowed slightly and he looked away, poking two fingers together as if he were nervous about something. He wore a sheepish grin, eyes squinted shut while he gave a hesitant laugh. "Well," he said eventually, "I was just wondering if you'd come with me to-"

Envy nearly fell over. "You want _me_," he interrupted, "to go somewhere with _you_?" he frowned, wondering what the youngest Elric could possibly want. Of course, if he'd give Al a chance to explain, he might know already. "Like I'd go anywhere with you..."

The bronze-haired alchemist looked slightly disappointed, putting one hand behind his head and shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. "Well," he said quickly, "i-it won't take very long, just a few minutes. Long enough for a couple of shots, that's all!"

Envy blinked. Then cackled. "You want me to come with you to the doctor? What? Your little big brother too busy to hold your hand right now?"

Al glared. "Not that kind of shot, Envy. I mean _pictures_."

Okay...that...wasn't quite what he was expecting. At all. Why would Alphonse Elric want a picture of...? He crossed his arms, tilting his head to one side and carefully regarding the boy. "Can't I just sign your coat or something instead?"

To his further surprise, Al just grinned. Not a normal grin, either. But a massive grin. A grin that suggested he'd just gotten his way. "It's a family portrait, Envy!" he exclaimed, eyes lighting up with excitement, "You, me, and Ed! It's for dad's birthday! I already told Ed where to meet us, so now if you'll just come, we can-"

He'd lost Envy at the word 'dad'. Oddly, the phrase 'family portrait' hadn't quite set in yet. However, the sheer horror and urge to kill that rose up at the mention of 'dad' was more than enough to make up for it. If looks could kill, Al would've already been dead. As it was, Envy was trying to figure out what to turn into in order to do the most damage. "That bastard isn't my-"

"Calm down," Al said...well...calmly, "You don't have to see him. And Ed hates the idea, too, so you're not the only one. If you can just smile long enough to have the picture taken, that's all you have to do. You can hate him all you want."

Envy sulked, head dropping and hands curling into fists. "You plan to drag me there if I don't go willingly,"

"That's right!"

Another wave of irritation. He growled and turned away.

Al hurried to placate him. "Come on, Envy," he said encouragingly, "Ed's going to be there! after the picture, you can annoy him as much as you want!"

Envy's head perked up. That was a desperate plea indeed on Al's behalf. "Let me get this straight," he watched for any signs of lies going across the Elric's face, "You're willing to trade your brother's happiness, possibly his actual sanity, maybe even his _soul_...for a _picture_?"

Al gulped, suddenly solemn. "W-well, he's _your_ brother too, and you're _his_ older brother, so technically you're allowed to annoy him anyway..." he paused, looking at his feet, "plus...you don't look like you've got anything better to do, so I thought you might come if I just give you an excuse to pretend you're actually using."

Envy didn't know whether to feel happy or insulted.

"Fine. I'll come with you."

_~*An Hour Later*~*_

Well...it was definitely going to be way less boring than sitting around by himself all day, but it was also going to be incredibly awkward. That much was blindingly obvious from the moment they walked into the studio.

Both Al and Envy were attacked the moment they walked in. The person doing the attacking was a short, mostly bald man whose small amount of hair was still dark brown. He also had a mustache that looks a bit like the bars of a bicycle. He was relatively round and was wearing a white shirt with a preppily folded-down collar and rolled up sleeves, as well as overly dark blue jeans that were splattered with paint- wait...paint? But wasn't he a photographer?- and, most disturbingly of all, he was wearing a navy-blue beret.

He was also dragging both of them into the room as quickly as he could. "Mr. Elric!" he shrieked, his voice high and slightly whiny, "You're late! You said you would only be ten minutes!"

Al sighed, closing his eyes and nodding apologetically. "Sorry, sir, but I had to go _find_ Envy before I could bring him here."

Envy rolled his eyes, yanking his hand out of the man's grip and looking around for sanitizer. "You _do_ realise you could've brought any random person and they could've passed as me, right?"

Al shot him a warning look as the man led them into another room just off the main floor.

It was like a horror film- the door creaked slowly open, a single beam of light falling on its sole occupant, who was sitting in a chair that was leaned on its back legs. Both of his hands were behind his head and he had one leg propped up on the other knee. His eyes were closed, but he apparently thought he knew who had just entered.

"Al...about time you got here. I'm freakin' starving and they don't even serve snacks here. Weird, right? They torture you for hours on end and don't even feed you."

Then he opened his eyes.

He was on his feet in a second, ignoring Envy's oh-so-polite wave. "What the hell is _he_ doing here?" he demanded, pointing at Envy and giving Al an accusing look, "You said it was just us!"

Al shook his head, offering a wavering smile. "No, brother- I said we had to come here for an Elric Brother Photo Op, that's all."

Ed screamed wordlessly, mouth hanging open in shock.

Envy grinned, skipping into the room to pat him on the head. "Hello, Chibi-San! Miss me?"

Ed looked like he was trying to say something, but there was no sound.

"Alright, you three. You've taken up enough of my time. Take your positions." he watched as Al scurried to find a place to stand, dragging Ed with him. He frowned, rubbing one hand under his chin, then gestured to Envy, "You, miss, would you stand between them, please?"

It was Envy's turn to look horrified. "Wha-? Bu- I'm not a girl!"

Ed cackled. "You sure look like one!"

The man had already gone pale. "Er...I mean...but you're...you're wearing a _skirt_, sir...and a..." he either didn't see the murderous look, or ignored it, rubbing one hand behind his head and backing away quickly, "I mean...a sports bra..."

Ed roared with laughter.

Envy turned bright red, adapting a fighting stance once again and preparing to tear the man's face off.

Al quickly stepped in to avoid trouble. "He's a gymnast," he said quickly, "And that's not a sports bra, it's just a half shirt. It's...for better aerodynamics and stuff."

Ed nodded rapidly. "Yep; he's a freakin' ballet dancer!" he dissolved into another fit of laughter.

Envy mumbled darkly and wondered who exactly would miss these fools if he killed them all.

The man grinned, his own face turning slightly red, and motioned to Envy once again. "Well, in any case, why don't you stand next to shorty here?" Envy had a split second to grin obnoxiously as he moved into place before, "Sorry about that...you're cute enough I thought for sure you were a girl."

Ed's annoyance at being called short vanished in a flash, along with Al's remaining hope that things would go smoothly.

"Did you just call me cute?" Envy all but screamed, taking a step toward the man again. It was a good thing Al was standing behind him and holding onto the back of his shirt...

Ed grinned up at him cheekily. "Now you know how I feel when you call me a pipsqueak!"

To satisfy his rapidly growing rage, Envy kicked him.

Ed looked affronted and puffed up as best he could, glowering fiercely. "That was my face!"

Envy gave him a look of mock remorse, altering his tone so it sounded like he was addressing a very, very young child. "Aw," he cooed, "I'm sorry! But it's really not _my_ fault your face happens to be the same level with my foot!"

The photographer looked between them anxiously.

Al cringed.

Ed exploded. "WHO YOU CALLIN' SO SHORT THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED TO PLAY LIMBO BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE TO BEND TO GET UNDER THE BAR NO MATTER HOW FAR YOU LOWER IT?"

Envy smirked, doing a little dance in place. "Who's it look like, Fullchibi Shrimp!"

Ed glared venomously.

The photographer coughed. "Um...well...before things go any further south, would you mind moving closer to your sister- er...brother for just a moment so I can take a picture?"

Ed and Envy exchanged glances.

"Should we team up to kill him?" Envy whispered, all hints of mirth gone.

Al was close to tears by that point. He'd thought it would be a great idea to get all three of them together for a picture, known for sure that Hohenheim would at least pretend to love it, but now it was all blowing up in his face. "Just...take the picture..." he murmured, staring at his feet and trying hard not to cry.

Envy shot Ed one more glare before nodding slowly. "Alright then..." he grinned innocently at the photographer, "Sorry about that...my _little_ brother here," he slammed his hand down on Ed's head, ruffling his hair, "just turned seven yesterday, and he's been a _little_ insane ever since,"

While Ed was still growling, the photographer blinked in shock. "Seven? Wow...I thought he looked closer to five..."

The camera flashed right before Ed tackled Envy.

* * *

** Egads...I'mma have to post the finished 'picture' on Deviantart, I think...couldn't figure out how to describe it ^_^ The next one will take a trip back into seriousness ^_^ Now, I'm off for, oddly enough, a Hobbit break ^_^ Can't believe it's taken me this long to really start reading that book.**


	5. Broken Glass

**Thanks for the reviews! *Teardrop* I'm so glad you're enjoying these! ^_^**

**This one decided to write itself in the form of a poem ^_^ Note here- if poetry isn't your thing, you can skip to the next one because it's pretty much a non-poem version of what happens in this one ^_^  
**

* * *

5. Broken Glass

Broken glass litters your core, deeply piercing your mind.  
It wouldn't hurt so much if not for the fact  
that it comes from broken mirrors, reflects everything you'd hide.

Broken mirrors have always lined your empty heart-  
such small things, shattered so, but wholly still in tact,  
made from broken promises that tell you what you aren't.

Broken promises keep you standing, all alone,  
in the pouring rain, too late now for looking back  
to the sea of blood and twisted, broken bones.

Broken bones can heal much faster than you'd like  
when, in fading tears that seem so much like laughter,  
you need something sharper than a broken heart  
to make you come alive.

Broken hearts can keep on beating  
even while lost, misused, and bleeding.  
You can't always keep yourself from needing  
broken trust to keep you close to feeling.

Broken trust just comes so easily-  
they'll always claim to love you just as they're all leaving,  
and broken bonds have never come so cheaply.

Broken bonds were never quite equivilent;  
there's no hope exchanging sin for another sin,  
since what comes back will cost far more than you can give:

Two broken lives in one,  
the half truth of what could've been your son.  
Jealousy, they name is human, wanting everything you see,  
even if it takes pure arrogance to ask and not recieve.

Well, here are broken lives for you,  
their souls and minds, and bodies, too.

And here's a broken bond of brotherhood-  
I've done things to him no brother ever should.

While I'm at it, I'll show you broken trust.  
Love turned into hatred that fuels vengeful lust.

I'll break a thousand hearts to make up for lost time,  
but I'll take my time on his, like you took no time on mine.

His bones crack beneath me, snap against my knees,  
they leave him to pierce my hands- wish you could hear him scream.

I broke too many promises to ever be forgiven.  
But hating you is just enough: In your hell, I'll find my heaven.

I'll break this mirror image without one shred of grace,  
then collect the broken shards, throw almost all back in your face.

I'll keep some broken glass to remind me of my own sin,  
but you can keep the rest and know forever  
that you're the one who made me into this.

* * *

**Yeaaaahh...wonky rhyme scheme...hehe...being up at two in the morning makes me write strange things. Basically, this was Envy freaking out. Mum was using the computer at the moment, so for this one I was armed with a pencil and a notebook. ^_^**


	6. Eyes

**This one was written at close to three in the morning, in a notebook, and by that point I'm pretty sure I could feel the blood vessels in my eyes starting to pop XD Truth was also trying to rip my arm off, so now I'm copying a barely-legible piece of writing into this document manager. Also- yeaaaah...my writing style skips around a lot...like...a lot...O.o **

* * *

6. Eyes

Purple is a beautiful colour for eyes.

It can represent _so_ much.

Royalty, for one thing, has been associated with purple for quite a long time. People don't really think of it in those terms in some places of the world anymore, but there are places where the meaning has held fast. But it's so cloying- like the smell of fake lavender and badly-masked death that hangs around hospitals. Fitting, in your case.

Purple is also a colour of night or early dawn, woven into the sky just at the baseline of the horizon. It's only there for a moment at a time, it seems, either after the red's faded to a deep wine colour and there's nowhere left to go before it turns black, or right after the darkness fades away. It'll lighten into red, then fade into a sunrise. That's if it's there at all- sometimes it isn't. The sun has to be bright, even uncharacteristically bright, for it to happen.

With night, the purple becomes associated with the fears that go along with the darkness.

Like the night or early dawn, the mist before your eyes is red, then there's a quiet, imperceptible rush, and the mist thickens into a clotted purple, the colour of absolute rage, thick and unyielding, tinting everything in your field of vision. It's punctuated in perfect contrast by twin dilated black strips, flashing in the darkness, glinting with almost animalistic malice.

Purple isn't a _natural_ colour for eyes.

Gold isn't natural for eyes either, you remind him, reminding yourself as well.

Did his brother have golden eyes? What about his mother? No, it's only him and his- your- father, and the father is barely worth being called human in the first place. If you're some sort of freak, then they're even worse than you, because one of them elected his strangeness. They want to believe you're the monster, the demon, the mistake it's always been too late to fix, but if they would just realise...

Golden eyes seem to reflect the sun itself on you, interrupting your thoughts and making the world go hot as uncontrollable anger washes over you, wave after wave. Your chest tightens and your breath catches, and you _look_ at him, your eyes locked onto his. And maybe he knows what you're thinking, maybe he doesn't. He's looked at everyone like that, at some point or another, but at this moment, you think it's a special sort of defiance in those eyes, meant only for you. It's tinged with the faintest traces of fear and the dying embers of something that could've been trust, but there's doubt, too. He doesn't know. He doesn't have any idea what's happening, what's about to happen.

Doesn't know that this is all his fault, as far as you're concerned.

Gold, you imagine, is the colour of divine fury. Like some sort of foreign and magnificent wrath waiting to be poured out on you and every other fool who deserves it.

But nobody deserves it better than you, because this is wrong, and you _know_ that it's wrong. But you're going to do it anyway.

It's the colour of victorious heroes returning from battle, glowing in the light of worship and adoration. Gold is the colour of wealth and perfection. While purple may represent royalty, it's gold that makes kings, gold that everyone wants, earns, steals, fights, and kills for. It may be innocent on its own, but it leads to _so_ much evil...

The last thought enters your mind as a pitiful, mewling whisper. You're desperate to justify what you're about to do.

But you're sin itself, why do you _need_ justification? Isn't this _right_, by your very nature? It feels so good, and hurts so much. Why do you have to see it as wrong? But, if you're sin, then _shouldn't_ it be wrong? Because it's too late to finally be right.

You look at him more carefully, wondering if he's started to figure it out yet. Where he is, why he's here. What he's lying on...the lines that crisscross beneath his back, the blackening array that- if he knows what's happening- he won't dare try to escape from. Because he only has too choices: try to escape, and complete your task for you, or stay here, and let you decide his fate one fistful of blood at a time.

His mouth moves, ever so lightly, and you can't hear his words, but you know what they mean.

Gold isn't just a beautiful colour for eyes. It's gorgeous. The most perfect thing you've ever seen. And you deserve whatever hell is waiting for you, but you just can't bring yourself to care.

He blinks, and then you're on him, gripping his shoulders and forcing him down, your eyes burning into his. You hope he understands by the time it's over, because if you're the one who's wrong, it's even worse that he doesn't know why. You want him to _feel_ it, all of it.

Your heart beats faster and you feel like you're choking.

A substance, smooth and wet and glittering like a pair of blood red eyes, falls on your hands.

It isn't fair! Everything you should've been, lying here, looking up at you through those wide, breathtakingly golden eyes, pupils wide with expectation. He knows, now. It's as if he's read your mind, knows exactly what you're going to do. He knows, too, that now is when you get to choose.

And he actually believes that you'll choose to do the _right_ thing.

But he's just your brother, and he doesn't know you.

You hold him down, dreading and loving the task before you. You can almost see it now, why your father chose this golden child- and that's all he is, really- over you. Because you're sick- a vile creature. Something otherworldly and perverse, twisted beyond hope of healing. At least your brother is only the innocent corrupter, not the vulgarly corrupted. It must have been an easy choice, leaving darkness for daylight.

He gasps as you tear into him without warning, and you can't help but look away.

Those eyes are so beautiful...how can you possibly be brothers?

You scream wordlessly, and then you're doing things to him that no one has the right to do to anyone, let alone their own brother. He fights it, drawing as much blood from you as you draw from him. It's hard to tell which of you is screaming more at this point, and it's all you can do to control him until your wrath is spent, the glowing red eyes scattered in countless pairs around you like sinister watchers.

For so long, you've wanted to hurt him, make him beg.

Now you've done something you can't take back, and it's still not enough.

He doesn't know what you've done to him, after all, but he begs, and begs hard.

You let go of his arms- if this is going to be finished, then he's the one who has to finish it- but keep him pinned down, hips locked between your knees. You want to _see_ your sin. _Need_ to see it.

For a moment, he's so intent on trying to breathe that he doesn't move. Then, he looks you in the eye and you know he doesn't care what you just did to him, because he's going to kill you for it. He's doing exactly what you want and he doesn't even realise it. He's been looking at you this whole time, not at the outlines of the circle that he'd be able to see if he'd just turn his head.

His hands come together weakly, and the crackle of blue sparks brings you a guilty smile that tastes of salt and ashes.

His own attempt to escape has just doomed him. Doomed both of you.

You know what it feels like, you know. But, even listening to the new onslaught of screaming, you don't remember it. It was too long ago. You suppose it's different for him, on some level. He writhes beneath you, his blood soaking into your clothes, and the next time you're able to look at him properly, you can't help the sadness that comes over you.

You're so, _so_ wrong...

As the power ebbs, he's left there, lying on his back, staring up at you, pain written on his face. He's changed so much in the smallest amount of time, and he feels it, now, but only partly. He doesn't quite understand, not yet, anyway.

He flinches as you lean closer, whimpers at the red stones you offer.

He looks at you like you don't understand, and you realise that your role will be threefold now, if he doesn't hate you for it.

Father, creator, brother...

_If_ he doesn't hate you for it.

But he's looking at you like he doesn't understand, and for one terrifying heartbeat, you're almost afraid he doesn't recognise you.

"Why?" he whispers, tears forming already.

You hesitate, unsure of how to respond. But the real reason has slipped your grasp already, and there's no simple way to tell him. So you settle for the next best thing, smiling softly and putting a gentle finger to his lips. "Shh," you lower your voice to a tone that, maybe, he can learn to trust, "we match now."

Purple is a beautiful colour for eyes.

* * *

**Creepy, I know. *Prepares to be hit with rocks thrown at high speed* So...pretty much, I don't know where this came from, or exactly what happened or how it would actually work, but Envy just kind of turned Edo into a homunculus, I think. Not entirely entirely sure. I remembered at pretty much the last second that Envy can't do alchemy, so I had Edo do it without realising. How the heck Envy got the whole thing set up, I don't really know ^_^**

Also, as you can probably imagine- most of this wasn't in the version that I wrote in my notebook. It's been editted...a lot...^_^ 


	7. Alchemy

**Ugh...I've...been dared...to get somewhere close to sixty of these done in two weeks. Now, given how well it's going, that wouldn't be too hard...except that me and mum are sharing a computer and she keeps stealing it. *Swears* It's suuuuuu annoying...But still. She doesn't have _that_ many days off...so maybe I can catch up XD Also, and I know this isn't something that should go in the author's note, but I'm getting desperate:**

**If anyone knows where/how to get the game Bluebird's Illusion, please tell me! I'm going insane! *Cries horribly*  
**

**This one, in case you can't tell, is set at the end of the series, a bit of an AU version of what happened. So Envy's in dragon form here, just so you don't get confused ^_^ I'm listening to the soundtrack while writing, and it helps so much ^_^**

* * *

7. Alchemy

"Your alchemy is useless, you know. It can't even make you taller."

It was meant as a teasing remark, the first time you said it. But the humour is lost when you say it against the backdrop of a gray sky, swirled with darker clouds, the moon just barely breaking through them, casting an eerie glow on the bloodstained ground. There's nothing funny about him kneeling in front of you, lopsided because his flesh knee is broken and his automail is gone. He's not even really kneeling. It's more like he's holding himself up with his one good arm, fingers curled into the dirt at his side, whole body convulsing with effort.

His eyes are glazed with pain, but he's not looking at you, so you don't have to see them.

It's not like you're much better off, anyway.

His head is bowed, his breath coming in sharp, faltering puffs. His arm jerks and he almost falls, but he refuses to let go.

It makes you angry. You shouldn't even be here. He's the one who told you to, with or without intention. He's the one who answered your question. He's the one who said your enemy would be here. That's why you came. That's why you turned yourself into a monster. At first, you wanted nothing more than to track that man down and kill him as quickly as possible. But something held you back, telling you to wait near where you arrived. Now you know what it was. He came not long after you. You were waiting for him, but now that he's here there's nothing you can do.

You feel like you should be doing something instead of watching him die. Doing anything at all instead of giving some ridiculous speech while he bleeds to death. But you can't pick him up. You can't carry him. You can't even hold him. So all you can do is wonder if he can even hear your voice.

"Your alchemy is _useless_!" you repeat, wishing you could grab him, pull him close, and scream it in his face.

You don't even want to look at him, but you can't help it. You hate him, now, more than you've ever hated him and more than you've ever loved him. You killed him once already, shoving the regret down until you almost couldn't feel it any more. You didn't know he found a way to come back. But, you admit to yourself, you never would have wanted him to throw it away.

"I guess your brother's alive and well now," you want to hurt him, want to hurt him and his brother, tear them both to shreds and make each of them watch the other suffer. "And now that he can cry, _he better be_!"

Because it's his fault.

But it isn't, is it?

But he had to know this would happen.

There's a quiet noise as he works up the strength to lift his head, to look at you. Something stirs to life in his eyes, flickering dimly and far more painful than any physical pain you've ever experienced. If he's afraid of you, you can't tell. He knows who you are, and manages a faint smile, swaying unsteadily and looking like he's ready to fall, like he thinks you might be able to catch him.

_You hate him so much._

"What good is it if he's alive,"

_You hate him _so_ much._

"if you're not?"

_You hate them all._

It doesn't matter that you're the one who killed him the first time. He's the one who ruined his second chance. He's the one who abandoned his brother like Hohenheim abandoned you. He's the one that comitted the original taboo. He's the one who made Sloth. He's the one who trapped his brother's soul in the suit of armour. He's the one who couldn't be happy with the fact that they were both alive. He's the one who had to look for the Philosopher's Stone. If not for him...

"You were supposed to be together, and alchemy couldn't even give you that."

He falls slowly, silently, the pool of blood still growing around him. What's left of the Hero of the People when truth is done with him. There's no fanfare, no sudden shower of black roses at his departing, no clouds drifting suddenly over the moon. It's as if nothing has happened. Like he was never even here.

You wouldn't cry for him if you could.

"Alchemy is useless."

* * *

**Yeah...umm...Listened to Lapis Philosophorum Piano Solo during that last little bit...**

**I guess in the original end of the series, Hohenheim or someone rescued Ed when he turned up in Germany. I mean, he's got automail again by the movie, so I'm guessing Truth took away his new limbs (Bum deal for Al...going through all that trouble to bring Ed back to life Whole, and he doesn't get to stay that way...not really fair...) so odds are he was bleeding pretty bad when he got there. So someone had to save him.**

**As for the broken knee- he fell pretty hard upon arrival in this version of what happened ^_^ I'm sick, I know...just love torturing him. Although...I'mma have to do one with Envy and Al soon, I think...^_^**


	8. Changing

**This is probably the hardest one yet. I've been thinking on it for literally a whole day now. I had three possible stories, and this is the one that 'won' so to speak XD**

* * *

8. Changing

It had been two days now.

Envy watched Pride with a mixture of apathetic glee and profound disgust.

This hadn't been part of the plan.

At least, not that he was fully aware of. He'd planned to beat the hell out of Edward Elric, to help Father in any way he could. Hurting Edward had just been a pleasantly rewarding plus, a little extra payoff for doing as he was told. But, as far as he'd known, the plan hadn't included making a new homunculus, let alone actually turning Edward into one. The plan hadn't exactly included doing what would be unforgiveable in Ed's eyes- killing not just Alphonse, the boy he'd worked so hard to save, but Roy mustang as well.

Well, things had changed much more quickly than he'd ever thought they could.

One moment everything was fine, then the next thing he knew, he was staring at this empty, lifeless shell of the person who'd once managed to be his favourite thing to hate and love at the same time. The golden eyes had dulled down, not a single spark left in them. He was whole again, with two flesh arms and two flesh legs, red spirals covering his body like spilled blood. He was beautiful, but he wasn't Edward.

No, he was Pride.

Now, Envy couldn't touch him.

He glared, noting that Pride flinched, not quite taking a whole step back before he caught himself, not daring to break eye-contact.

In most ways, he belonged to Envy.

Envy was the one who'd grabbed his hand, dragging him to safety before he could protest. Envy was the one who had practically thrown him at Father at the first available moment, hoping for some sort of direction on what to do. Father had at least put an arm around the boy, who looked painfully small compared to the rest of them, and given him a proper introduction.

Then they were all swarming over him like curious children.

Wrath was the one who'd begun laughing hysterically at the idea of Edward Elric becoming one of his own worst enemies.

On a good day, Envy would have smirked right along with him. Except that this just wasn't funny.

Envy was the one who'd explained things to Pride. The poor bastard's mind was, for lack of better terms, messed up. Envy was the one who, when he'd accepted the fact that coaxing Edward out of the shell would never happen, had fed him red stones and, speaking as gently as he dared, told him what he was at least six times over while Pride attempted to understand.

And there were plenty of things that Pride didn't understand. He hadn't said much yet, but he'd followed Envy like an unwanted shadow. Or a partially unwanted shadow. Envy didn't really want him to go away, but sometimes...sometimes he couldn't even _look_ at Pride without feeling ill.

Father never had said what they were supposed to do with the newest addition to their group.

Most of the others were content to ignore him until Father told them what to do with him.

Envy wasn't quite content to occasionally give him some information, occasionally scream at him, occasionally deliver a beating that would have killed him if he wasn't now immortal- one good thing about what had happened, he could take things so much further than he could have, before- and occasionally give him a few light orders.

All of which Pride handled in almost complete silence.

If his personality ever developed, which would be a welcome change, Envy suspected that he'd quickly go from being the baby of the group to being almost as obnoxious as Edward had been. Almost. He certainly wouldn't put up with as much if he ever grew into his new name.

Envy liked the old one better on so many levels.

With a frustrated growl, he put a hand on Pride's shoulder, still watching closely. They were dressed exactly alike, something he wasn't sure how he felt about. It didn't look quite...right...seeing Edwa- Pride like this, not when his customary garb was usually composed of so many layers. Like this, he seemed practically naked.

He looked almost like a girl, really, with the long golden hair falling down his back and the strange outfit displaying most of his slender frame.

One of the tasks Envy had given him earlier on was, in fact, brushing the hair, but after a few minutes he'd gotten tired of waiting and had snatched the brush away, finishing the task himself. He'd considered braiding the hair as well, but had eventually discarded the idea as foolish. If he was ever going to stop thinking of his brother as Edward and start thinking of him as Pride, he needed there to be as little similarity between the two as possible.

Now his brother couldn't even use alchemy, with or without a circle. Couldn't shape shift, couldn't seem to do _anything_. By all outward appearances, he was just some random kid who looked a little lost, not at all like he should be the seventh homunculus.

Pride blinked slowly, something flickering in his eyes for just a moment. "Envy...?

His voice was unsure, like he hadn't yet learned whether speaking without first having been spoken to was safe. He hadn't really learned what was safe and what wasn't yet. If anything, he was overly cautious. Envy was sure that using him as a target whenever his rage boiled out of control hadn't helped things, but he hoped it wouldn't be long before Pride would actually talk on his own. And this was, at least, a step in the right direction.

Except, he probably just wanted Envy to tell him, again, what exactly he was.

He bowed his head, letting his eyes close and attempting to control his tone. "What is it?"

There was no response for several seconds, before, "I...feel...strange..." he whispered, something in his voice making Envy look at him. He looked back at Envy, an emotion playing in his eyes that wasn't quite sadness and wasn't quite panic, "like...something's missing..."

Frowning, Envy took a step closer, but had barely opened his mouth to speak when Pride closed the distance between them, grabbing one of Envy's hands in both of his own and bringing in to his chest.

"Something here," his eyes drifted down, then back up to Envy's face, looking for the explanation Envy couldn't give him, "Is...something wrong with me? Am I...broken?"

_Yes._

Envy was beginning to wish he'd just let the body die instead of bringing it to Father to be turned into this thing, this thing that was somehow his brother without being his brother, the Pride that should be Edward. How was he even saying that? He shouldn't be able to feel like something was wrong! Unless there really was some sort of flaw they didn't know about, a fatal flaw that could either kill him or turn him back into the person that was lost...

He would never be able to love and hate Pride in the same way he had Edward, not in a million years. They were too different on too many levels. But if Pride could feel...then maybe...

Without even knowing what he was doing, he pulled his hand away from Pride, pulling his brother to him in the same movement. The embrace wasn't returned, but wasn't rejected either. He didn't say anything for a long moment, but finally pulled back enough to look Pride in the eye. "I don't care if you are," he replied, something in him flaring that he hadn't felt in a long time, "because I'm going to fix you."

He didn't know how, or if it was really even possible, but things were changing, and he was going to do everything in his power to make sure they changed for the better.

* * *

**Out of character, I know...I just think that, seeing what becoming Pride has turned Ed into, Envy probably wants his real chibi-san back..and he's ticked at pretty much everyone involved, meaning that now that he kind of thinks Edo might be in there somewhere...hmmm...*Apologises profusely* Two of the songs I listened to while writing this were Crime and Punishment and Requiem for the Blind Alchemist...not sure why I'm telling you that...ahem...anyways, I'm happy because I FINALLY found a way to get Bluebird's Illusion, annnnnnnnd I played it a bit today by reading an English walkthrough on the website. I was literally about two thirds of the way to the Pride!Ed ending before I misread the instructions and got game over, so I apologise for anything that sounded weird- I don't know how Ed actually becomes Pride, so I was sort of making a patchwork quilt of things...*Sheepish* **

**Little Side Note/Question you can answer if you choose: If the Seven Deadlies were all made the way Pride Ed was, who would they be? My version of this would be something like:**

**Ed=Pride, Roy=Sloth, Havoc=Lust, Yoki=Greed, Hawkeye=Wrath (Although, I honestly don't know who would be Gluttony...Ed eats a lot...hmmmmmm...) ^_^**


	9. Tension

**I might just live through the challenge if I can go from cranking out one of these every twelve hours to doing closer to ten a day...maybe...*cries* But I'm just now on number nine...O.o Quick! Gimme some tea and an Edward Plushie! Or the real Edward, some coffee, and some mini white cake donuts! *Does anyone else know what I'm talking about?***

* * *

9. Tension

"So we meet again."

He stared his enemy down, putting enough wrath for entire nations into his glare, complete and utter hatred shining in defiant eyes. It almost hurt to even look, but he refused to admit defeat, and wouldn't break eye-contact. He would _not_ be the first to give in. Tension wracked his entire body, his shoulders and back stiff with anticipation, his spine rigid from hours of battle.

Oh, he was already wounded, and badly at that. Bloody bandages swathed his arm and leg, wrapped around his head, and supported badly broken ribs. Trophies of a different fight entirely, but serving as bitter nuisances. It would have been hard enough to win this war without the added stress of other injuries.

He was alone in this fight, fully and completely. The only other person in the room with him had left several minutes ago, probably never to return, and the only other people who may have intended to come were, in a way, enemies themselves. They didn't understand the nature of this fiend, how it taunted him, giving unending torment and leaving hideous scars in its wake.

No, he was better off alone.

The door to the hospital room crashed open as Envy approached, nonchalantly flicking the door closed behind him as he strode over and took a seat on the bedside table, leaning forward and deftly snatching the glass of milk off the tray before drinking the whole thing in one gulp.

He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, placing the cup back on the tray and crossing one leg over the other before regarding his stunned rival with a chipper expression. "I'm back, Chibi-San," he announced, beaming, "But you already knew that."

Ed blinked, looking at him with utter disbelief and gesturing to the tray. "But...but I...j-...how...?"

Envy held one finger to his mouth and tilted his head, a look of false but mortal concern coming over him. "Wow, chibi, you look really worked up. Something the matter?"

Edward lost it. His reply came as an almost inhuman shriek. "_YOU DRANK MY MILK_!"

The green haired homunculus wasn't impressed. "So?" he sounded lightly annoyed, "It's not like you were gonna drink it. Geez, I thought I was doing you a favour- you were about to bust a lung if you stayed all coiled up like that for any longer."

The alchemist shot him a look so murderous that it almost physically hurt. His arms and legs flailed for a moment. "You can't just- _I_ was supposed to win! You drinking the milk is as bad as _me_ drinking it! NO ONE WAS SUPPOSED TO DRINK IT!"

Envy patted him on the head, grin returning. "Well, chibi-san, I can always ask a nurse to bring you some more!"

Ed was fuming. "The second I'm well enough to get up, I'll kill you, Envy."

Envy pouted. "But I thought you'd be happy to have a visitor while you're in the hospital, pipsqueak!"

"Envy," Ed spoke slowly, like Envy was four hundred years younger than him instead of four hundred years older, "YOU'RE THE ONE THAT PUT ME HERE!"

* * *

**It's short...but I want to get number ten written before I go to bed, at least, and I've only got thirty minutes to do so, soooo...*Grins* Hope you found the image of Envy just randomly stealing Ed's milk somewhat funny, because I kind of do ^_^ I think my edit helped it suck less...**

**By the way- I don't know if I've mentioned it or not, but these aren't slash. I'm not fond of the Edvy pairing, but of course you're welcome to see these as slash if you want to. Also, whether you like slash or not, go check out Beauty and the Beast by Moonlit Water Sunny River. Her version of this is Edvy, but there are a few in there that can be taken sort of any way you want to take them. I enjoy those stories, and I'm about the furthest thing from a slash fan there is. So seriously, go look at those ^_^**

Also...ummmm...yeah- I fail the catching up challenge because there's something wrong with the computer and it'll be in the shop. For a week. *Hyperventilates and dies an excruciatingly painful death* Please toss me some cookies or something...*Cries hysterically*


	10. Petrichor

So I decided to stay up late on this one, because I wrote the whole thing and it was even worse than the last one, and I was right about to post it when suddenly Truth knocked me in the head and Envy threatened to do terrible things with/to my keyboard (not the least of these included whapping Edo into next week with it. I don't know about you, but I can't wait a week for our timelines to catch up. Can't go a week without Edo O.o) sooooo I deleted all thousand-something words and rewrote it. Scary scary scary. It's based loosely off Rain by Breaking Benjamin ^_^ *And yes, I'm in a zombie state. Feed me. xP)

Hmm. I want to rewrite Tension- I got an idea like yesterday of something I should have done with it...but I think I'mma leave it and just write it into a different one.

By the way, for those who don't know- Petrichor is "The smell of dust after rain" at least, that's how I heard it ^_^

* * *

10. Petrichor

It was a strange day, both hot and cold at once. The ground was hot, the sun beating down on it relentlessly, making even the shadows stagger with the intensity. Then the rain started. It was barely visible, coming down in slow sheets of icy droplets, making steam rise from the ground as it stirred the dust, dampening the graves as it fell. It was only a light shower, barely enough to gray the sky or darken the clouds.

There was a gentle breeze, playing at the hems of the youth's coat and tugging gently at his hair as he stood at the grave, looking at it with a disinterested sort of sadness, looking somewhat confused at its even being there. He seemed oblivious to his surroundings, his eyes so downcast they were barely even open, eyelashes standing out vividly against the paleness of his face.

Well, not entirely pale. He seemed a bit flushed, like he was embarrassed or fevered.

When he looked up, there was no doubt that he was fevered. His eyes were glassy, overly bright, and it was clear that he wasn't truly even aware of where or who he was. How he'd gotten here, lost in his delirious dreams, was a mystery. Why he was here, an equal mystery. Perhaps he didn't even have a reason.

He didn't even blink as the dark figure behind him moved, shifting in annoyance where he was sitting on one of the gravestones, keeping careful balance in a ridiculous position, one knee drawn up to his chest and his other leg bent so that his feet almost touched. One arm was slung across his knees, the other hanging absently at his side, gripping the top of the stone almost carelessly.

He smirked, swiping one hand over his head, smoothing his long green hair as he slid off the stone, skipping lightly to his feet. For a moment, he stood there, stretching with an arched back, before moving toward the smaller blonde figure. He approached slowly, putting an arm around the boy's shoulders with a widening grin. "Chibi-san," he crooned, "I _thought_ you'd be here."

The boy ignored him, continuing to look at the grave.

Envy frowned for a moment, but quickly readapted the grin and leaned around until he was almost nose-to-nose with Edward. "You look a little glum," he hissed, "Wanna _play_? Will that cheer you up?"

He watched as Edward's gaze flickered to meet his own, and his lips moved silently, tiny drops of water sticking to them.

"Speak _up_, pipsqueak," Envy added a growl to his words, hoping to entice the chibi alchemist into a fight as he roughly jostled his rival's shoulder, "I can't hear you!" the words were punctuated by sharp fingers digging into Edward's arm.

Painfully slowly, Edward frowned, head bowing once again. "Why are you here, Envy?" he asked quietly, "Who said you could come here?"

Well. _That_ wasn't what Envy expected. His eyes narrowed, his grin vanishing as he sulked. Something was wrong. It didn't occur to him that it might have to do with the grave Edward was visiting. Well, he knew it was _something_ to do with that, but he didn't particularly care. If there was something wrong with chibi-san, it wasn't anything that couldn't be fixed with a good fight.

It also wouldn't hurt to give him a little lesson in respect.

Grimacing, he used the arm around Edward's shoulders to bend him over, bringing his knee up into Ed's stomach with enough force to knock the breath from his lungs. He waited until Edward started coughing, then he did it again. And again.

He let go, watching chibi-san stagger away from him, not making the first move to try and fight back. "Well how _boring_," Envy leapt after him, grabbing his braid before he could straighten and jerking his head back, pounding him in a flurry of fists and feet, "you can't make it this easy. Since when do you make it _easy_?"

Edward said nothing, only attempted to roll away from the attack, wheezing as he moved away enough to stand up properly. His entire body seemed to stiffen for the barest of moments as he closed his eyes, sucking in a breath and looking away before Envy could come at him again. God, he looked terrible. Like he was trying not to totally fall apart and, by the looks of things, wasn't having much luck.

Not that Envy cared. Not really. He was just curious. What could have his chibi that depressed, that he wouldn't even fight back

"Hm." the homunculus stood back, hand on hip, and watched more carefully. Now that he wasn't attacking, Ed seemed to have forgotten him entirely. That, or couldn't be bothered with the fact that he was there.

The rain was cold on Envy's face, dripping from the ends of his hair and running slowly down his arms, feeling like cold fingers on his waist and torso. It actually felt good, since it wasn't raining very hard. Since he didn't have to worry about getting sick, the water didn't bother him. Pipsqueak, however...well...he'd been here before Envy had, for who knew how long. Maybe before the rain started, maybe after. Either way, he was clearly already sick, and the rain wasn't going to make things any better.

It wouldn't do for chibi to die of a little thing like a fever before Envy could finish him off.

He was halfway to Edward, fully intending to drag him to the nearest dry building- he didn't care if it was the home of anyone Edward knew. He figured the midget looked enough like a sodden kitten to warrant affection from just about anyone. Hell, if he made that lost face at just the right time, Envy wasn't so sure that _he'd_ be able to refuse him help- when the boy turned to look at him, expecting another attack.

Some of his hair had come loose of its braid in the initial assault, and there were thin lines of blood on his face where he'd been hit. The expression on his face was, if anything, pathetic. Some sort of freakish mix of anger and sadness. But it was more than that, Envy thought. And it wasn't just the fever making it look so much worse than it really was, either.

Envy growled and came closer, leering in Ed's face once more.

"Alright, chibi," he snarled, close enough to feel the heat radiating off his half-brother, "what's your _problem_? Somebody die?" he glared harder than ever, grabbing Ed's shoulders to keep him from moving, "Was it that mechanic of yours? How 'bout your brother? That blood-seal get scratched? Or maybe it was Colonel Useless or his pet viper. Or maybe," he tried to quash the spark that leapt into his eyes, tried to keep away the smirk that came totally unbidden, "Maybe it was granny this time? Well?"

The silence went unbroken, filled only by the murky smell of the dust and the sounds of the rain that fell on it. If he listened hard enough, Envy thought he could hear Edward breathing. They were close enough that he could feel it. Too shallow, especially for a human.

Edward held his gaze for a moment, then all the breath seemed to go out of him in one sentence, "He didn't tell me."

And then he was practically limp, knees giving out beneath him. Envy almost let him fall out of spite, but somehow wound up catching him anyway, ignoring the fact that his very nature was shrieking at him that this wasn't how things were supposed to happen. Edward's head was against his chest, his eyes barely open anymore. Envy looked over the top of the alchemist's head at the grave he'd been here to visit.

_Oh_.

He couldn't name the feeling that suddenly shot through him, making him almost as weak as the body he was supporting. He couldn't name it, but he didn't like it. His eyes went wide and he darted a glance at Edward, wondering if he knew.

_Maes Hughes._

Envy had thought he didn't bother to learn the man's name, but anyone who thinks the very fact that someone's waiting for them at home means they can't die...he couldn't help but remember that.

He wanted to think, for a moment, that he hadn't enjoyed it. Wanted to tell himself that the grin as he'd pulled the trigger had been fake, that he hadn't actually wanted to kill the man. But that was a lie and he knew it. He was a sin, after all. He was allowed to be cruel. Sadistic, even. He made no attempt to deny it. Only...

Looking at Edward, awkwardly slumped against him, trembling with cold and fever...if that was the punishment for what he'd done...he thought he might be able to bring himself to regret it. It felt like he should say something, but words failed him.

But he didn't have to say anything, because Ed was talking again, his voice quavering as he attempted to fight off tears.

"He's...been dead for weeks, and no one told me!" his voice sounded strange, breaking and distorting his words. Envy half wished he'd just give it up and cry. Wail and moan until all his grief was spent. But then, Envy wasn't sure, exactly, what he'd have to do in that case. He was already partly disgusted at even this show of weakness. He could always make Edward regret it, later on. Use it as a weapon in some future battle.

But for now, he supposed that that this was some sort of twisted penance he had to pay.

Why, though? It wasn't going to change anything. Yes, he felt a faint glimmer of remorse at the fact that he'd done something that had sent his half-brother this far over the edge, but he also wouldn't change what he'd done even if he could. At least, he thought he wouldn't. Besides that, if he hadn't killed the man, someone else would have. If anything, the alchemist should know by now that people die. It was a simple fact.

Could it really hurt to stay, though? Just for a little while?

It wasn't pity that made Envy want to help. It was more the fact that he hated seeing Edward like this. Edward was supposed to be fighting him tooth and nail, not...whatever this was. And Envy wasn't about to hug him back, no matter what. But if he could just keep his brother from falling, maybe that would be enough. Just until Edward was himself again, then it would be safe to leave.

Envy almost found himself closing his eyes, breathing a little more evenly and settling into the temporary role of comfort, if it could be called that.

"He was the closest thing to a father I had..."

The voice was a harsh whisper, and Envy could barely hear it. But it was enough.

In a heartbeat, Envy let go and moved away, turning around before he could actually see Edward fall. His hands curled into fists at his sides, but he breathed deeply, tilting his head back and forcing himself to relax. When he thought he'd regained control, he started walking. How dare the whelp say anything about a father? He'd _had_ a father! For longer than Envy had.

And apparently he didn't care, because somehow he hadn't noticed that he'd had everything Envy had ever wanted, even if only for a little while.

Envy didn't care either. Let him lose someone else, it didn't matter. Let him stay here in the graveyard and drown in the dust and rain.

Envy didn't care.

* * *

Not sure how I feel about this one...nnnn...it's another that gave me two ideas. I may write the other version into another theme ^_^ Will try to make the next one better for you's. I did do several in a notebook while I had no computer, so I'll be getting them ready ^_^


	11. Setting You Free

He wants to look away, but it's impossible.

Who are they torturing, anyway?

Every sense has been invaded, for both of them.

The sights are bad. Terrible, regardless of how normal they feel. The dim lighting that casts strange shadows on everything and everyone in the room, darkness so thick it's difficult to make anything out in some places. But there are spots of light, enough to see the blood on the floor, the walls. There are a few little glints of white shining on metal, on broken, twisted automail that's been half ripped out of place. They probably left it there, hanging, barely attached, as an insult. And it works. It feels wrong just to see it, like he's intruding on something private.

The smell is worse. The damp floors are rank with mold and dust coats everything that hasn't already been used as a weapon. In some places, water actually pools, mixing with the puddles of blood that drips down the walls, sprayed like some kind of hideous paint. It's hard to look anywhere without seeing the dark stains. The whole room reeks of death, and the sharp, tangy scent of terror hangs about like smoke, stinging his eyes and making him want to choke.

It feels wrong, so very wrong. Like something vile, beyond even what he should be capable of. The atmosphere of the place is a tangible sin, as much as himself and the others. It's everywhere, in the slick feeling of the red liquid on the pale skin, to the more abstract feeling that he's probably inventing. Like something weighs him down the moment he enters. It's in the heat of his brother's breath, the chill of the metal, the erratic pounding of his heart as it skips to its last beat, the heaving chest as the Hero of the People struggles to breathe. His hands shake every time any contact is forced. He should enjoy it. But it's not what he wanted.

He's tasted it, too.

The metallic flavour coats his tongue, and there's nothing quite as sickening as tasting tears that aren't your own. It makes his stomach turn just to think about it.

But the sounds...the sounds have always been the worst.

Hearing someone breathe is a strange thing. It can be comforting, at times. But it can be frightening, as well. It can evoke almost any emotion, but the last time he heard it, it just made him want to run the other way. The sharp sounds of breath sucking in through clenched teeth, the panting when the breath wouldn't come at all. Then there were the screams. The heart-wrenching sounds that barely seemed human. He hadn't been able to keep up his uncaring guise. He'd flinched, recoiling from the sound with such violence they'd all seen it.

It got worse and worse, but, to his relief, there had been no begging. He wouldn't have been able to handle that.

He watches them, all of them, do everything and more. They take it too far, expecting him to do the same. Their precious quarry of so long has been proven useless, so he's nothing but a toy to them now. A brief amusement before they find someone else to hunt down. Another life to ruin in their quest for humanity. But if they're such monsters now, what will they be like if they're human?

How can they ever be anything different?

Not that he's a saint. He's followed right along with them, plastered a smile on his face and even laughed as he takes his turn, bordering on hysteria, even, as he forces himself to think that this is what he's supposed to be doing. He licked the blood from his fingers and said everything he'd always thought but never meant, satisfaction that wasn't quite fake coursing through him when his brother finally broke, shrieking beneath him and not even bothering to struggle anymore.

_I hate you._

He felt it, a moment later, and he knows he'll never forget what it felt like. A million things rose up in him at once. Rage, shame, pleasure, guilt, joy, terror...so many things at once, he's still sorting through all of them. But he knows that the words weren't spoken lightly. That they were meant wholeheartedly from whatever heart they left him with. He realises there's no going back, now. No way to fix it. No apology can take away this crime.

It's inexplicable, why it makes his chest tighten, the thought that his brother had never really hate him before, the thought that it's only now the hatred is becoming real. Stranger still, the fact that it isn't returned. He's always said he hates the boy, but now...he isn't sure. In fact, he's certain that he doesn't. Or not so certain. He's confused, and the only thing he does know is fading quickly like a dying flame, leaving him to freeze.

Ironically, everything within him burns.

There's no way to fix it.

He tries not to dwell on it, but all he can see is those eyes, looking up at him with horror and pain. Those words don't do nearly enough to describe it, though, and he doubts he'll ever be able to describe it. But what do words matter with _those_ words still ringing in his skull?

There's no blocking it out, any of it, and he wishes that he needed sleep so there would be some way to justify slipping into oblivion for even a few hours, but what's to say he wouldn't dream about it? Everything he said, everything he did? Everything he watched the others do. To his brother. The boy is less than half related to him, he knows that. They shared a father in another life, but Envy isn't the child Hohenheim helped create. He's a monster made from that mortal's death. But they're still brothers, in a way that doesn't make sense.

And if there's a hell, he's sure he'll go there for what he did to his brother.

But he can still make up for it, in the way that words can't possibly manage to.

So late at night, with his vision tinted by purple and black, he walks to that room, his legs feeling like lead. His steps are silent, but he hears them all like an amplified version of his own heartbeat.

It doesn't take long to get there, but he's exhausted by the time he reaches the door. He's not surprised that Lust is standing beside it, examining her fingernails. Envy tries to ignore the flashes of red that flake off the black talons.

She looks at him disinterestedly, the ghost of a sultry smile forming on her lips. "Well, Envy...you're here late," she says softly, as if she knows what he's been thinking this whole time. Her voice alone is a subtle taunt. She's always known, even before. "Did you hear him or something?"

It wasn't what Envy was expecting, but he stops in his tracks, hand halfway to the door handle. He whirls to face Lust, trying to keep the shock off his face, failing miserably and replacing it with a look of lightly masked anger. "What are you talking about?" he growls, narrowing his eyes.

Lust laughs coldly, each note of her cackling sending white hot knives tearing through him. "Oh," she's almost purring, "I thought someone would've told you," she stands a little straighter and comes closer, tracing an elongated fingernail up his chest before closing the distance between them in that slow, predatory walk of hers, "It's nothing really, but the funniest thing happened earlier,"

Her eyes bore into his, and he wants to scream.

She taps her fingers on his chest gently, punctuating her words slightly out of rhythm with the order they're spoken. "I was paying him a visit, and...I think I pushed the poor dear a little too hard...do you know what he said?"

Envy rolls his eyes and tries to push past her, but her nails dig into his shirt, all but piercing his skin. "Do you think I care?" he snaps, "Isn't he beyond saying anything coherent?"

Lust smirks, retracting her hand and using it to twirl her hair between her fingers. "Well, I thought you might be interested to know he was calling for you, but I suppose not..." she looks down for just a moment before her eyes flick up to Envy's face, teasing him.

It works, because it feels like his heart has stopped beating. "Me?" he stammers before he can stop himself, and he can see it's the reaction she wanted.

Her smile broadens and she moves away from him, a little extra sway her steps. "I won't defile it with an imitation, and I don't know what you do to him when you're alone, but it almost made me jealous," she looks back over her shoulder at him, deadly serious without warning, "in fact, it sounded like he thought _you'd_ be the one to save him."

Envy stiffens, but forces himself to turn back to the door. "I get bored," he replies softly, more to convince himself than Lust, "and beating the hell out of that little bastard is almost as good as Hohenheim." he tries to make his glare as cold as hers when they look at each other again, "I like to make him squeal. And he's all too willing."

He yanks the door open and enters the room, slamming the door in Lusts face as she tries to follow him through.

Not long now. He can make it right in a way.

He tries not to look as he walks the short distance to the prisoner. His brother.

He's beyond recognition, and it's clear he doesn't recognise Envy.

Taste. Touch. Smell. Sight. Sound.

All corrupted beyond repair.

Envy comes close, until static bristles off his skin, Ed's eyelashes brush his face and they're breathing the same air. It's a sad miracle that entirely too close is entirely too far apart. He can hear the rattling in Ed's chest as he draws each faltering breath. Envy can only look at him for several seconds, hearing the faint whimpering sounds the boy makes, mouth slightly open and blood running freely.

One hand at the side of Ed's face, Envy closes his eyes, whispering a silent apology that doesn't need to be heard, but rather felt.

The other hand goes to Ed's chest.

"I'm so sorry," he whispers, forehead pressed against that of his brother, hoping that somehow, maybe Edward can hear him and knows exactly how sorry he is. It's impossible, but maybe Edward will understand. "It's too late for anything else," the breath tickles his face, and there's an agonising pause before the next one comes, "But I can do this for you."

His heart breaks at the motion, and then it's over. Edward shudders against him before falling still.

He doesn't deserve the single tear that trails down his cheek, doesn't deserve the consolation of crying over this. He should have to suffer in complete silence.

"Now you're free."

* * *

**Going to try to stop getting an idea to kill Edo every time...but in case you haven't noticed, I like torturing characters XP **


	12. Colours

The colours have all bled out of this world.  
You'll have to move on to the next one  
before it hurts too much to close your eyes,  
but I'm  
afraid that it's too quiet here-  
the world in black and white.

Maybe if you listen hard enough,  
you'll hear someone that you love  
in a different sort of way  
saying  
they loved in a tired way  
before they said goodnight.

If you concentrate, it's louder-  
You can almost find the sky,  
and in the gray,  
a touch of blue.  
Somehow  
it's easier to breathe  
when you can feel them breaking down.

You imagine that they hold you,  
and even think you see  
just the palest shade of bronze, or  
the vaguest hint of green.

It makes you think of something that  
you think you can't remember,  
like what violet should mean,  
or why you feel a whisper,  
through the numbness,  
of something... sharp and gentle  
fingertips  
trembling  
ghosting across your bloodless lips.

You feel like it should be raining,  
but the tears keep coming  
and keeping you dry.  
You'd love to hold on longer,  
but it's too hard  
when someone is already  
holding your hands much too tight.

Then the sound fades and you're  
burning alive.

Too late is too late,  
when even fire turns gray  
and the screams aren't loud enough.  
Too soon,  
you became  
unafraid to die,  
blatantly prepared  
to throw away all sacrifice  
too fast,  
and even that was not enough  
to save you from the truth  
that bled until you cried.

Gold burns brightly  
like a dying star  
all too briefly before  
shattering  
and blending  
with the wasted night.  
Everything melts away  
and you forget to feel by sigh.  
It all rushes down around you-

The world in black and white.


	13. Warmth

**Hehehee...I got so excited about this one, and then the idea changed right after I started writing it out XP Either way- I needed something kyoot, so this will have to do. I'mma warn you, though- it can be seen as extremely AU...in fact...it probably actually IS AU...Hmm...*Shrugs* Listened to Pizzacato while writing it XD  
**

**Technically...yeah...this one could also work for Tension, I think. Either way...FLUFFFFFF! In a rather vague form. **

* * *

13. Warmth

Envy sat across the way from Edward, knees drawn up to his chest and arms wrapped around them. He wasn't cold, but it was becoming increasingly obvious that the little twerp was cold. Freezing, even. And it wouldn't hurt to stay here and watch him squirm until he finally gave up. And, by the looks of things, it wouldn't take very long. His automail was already forming ice crystals.

Edward, for his part, was still trying to get out. Flailing, kicking, clawing...anything he could think of. But none of it was working.

The homunculus cackled. "Hey, give it a _rest_, chibi. You're not gonna make it."

The alchemist scowled and went insane, flailing harder than ever while shrieking curses until he ran out of breath. He went limp, slumping against the wall and crossing his arms, mumbling darkly to himself.

Envy grinned, eyes squinting closed. "Geez, Mini, you seem upset."

Ed gave Envy a look that suggested he was trying to set him on fire. "Oh my _god_, Envy. Why are you even _here_?"

Envy shrugged, lifting one shoulder by a fraction and tossing his hair before examining his fingernails, one hand stretched out in front of his face, fingers splayed. He blinked slowly. "Eh. I've got nothing better to do than watch you check out, chibi-san." he sighed dramatically, "At this rate...it's a little like watching grass grow, except..." he cracked a grin at his own joke, "Grass not only grows faster than you, but taller as well."

He gave a snort of laughter.

"I swear, Envy. When Roy gets here," Ed snarled, "I'll tell him to set your ass on _fire_. And I'm going to watch you burn."

"_Just_ my ass?" Envy frowned, "_Ooh_, I'm _so_scared, chibi."

Ed sulked.

"And so descends the awkward silence..." Envy murmured, ducking his head and glaring at the wall.

"Shut. Up." Ed copied the motion, staring at the opposite wall.

Whether or not Edward liked Envy saying it out loud, the awkward silence stretched between them. Envy was beginning to worry. Why hadn't Edo attacked him yet? It wasn't the ultimate solution to the problem, but it would be much less boring than sitting here waiting, and it would warm Edward up a little bit. Especially if Envy didn't pay attention to his 'when they can no longer scream, you stop' rule.

Then again...he could also ignore his usual terms of waiting for some form of initiative before thrashing the hell out of the boy. If he attacked without warning, it could make things more interesting than if he let Edward go first. Either way, he'd win. Obviously. He looked at the fingernails of the other hand, this time curling the fingers toward his palm and tilting his head back slightly. A fight would be nice...

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't see Edward's gaze flicker toward him momentarily.

The alchemist made a quiet "hm" noise before looking away again, only to look back a moment later. The third time, he didn't look away again. He sat there, looking somewhat nervous, somewhat furious. Envy didn't even feel him looking. He seemed to weigh his options for a moment before moving slightly, sliding over just a little.

Envy glanced up, frowning. Fullmetal pipsqueak had changed positions. Then he beamed. "Hey, chibi-san. I bet you'll warm up if you do some jumping jacks or something. Or maybe if you clap enough it'll actually help for once."

Ed growled, going completely tense for just a moment. Then, before Envy could protest, Ed stood up, wobbling slightly on numb legs, and crossed the room until he was standing right in front of a bewildered Envy.

The homunculus blinked. "Um. What are you doing?"

Ed rolled his eyes and sat down beside Envy, snuggling close and turning bright red. "Shut up!" he snarled, "I forgot my coat at Central! Colonel Bastard probably hid it! I'm in a freakin' tanktop, how warm d'you think that is? I'm _freezing_!"

Envy blinked again, squirming away until they were no longer touching. "Ugh! Get off me!" he spat, "What's wrong with you?"

Ed growled and moved closer again. "I already told you..."

Envy shuddered. "Damn it, chibi!" he flinched, "Oh, god...your brain must have already frozen...you're insane."

The alchemist shrugged, moving even closer. "Maybe. How are _you_ so warm anyway? You're in a mini-skirt...Roy would probably love you..." he was beyond the point of caring about awkward. Beggers couldn't be choosers, and he'd take any form of warmth he could get, even if it did come from the person who was the closest to being his worst enemy in the entire world.

He was still shivering, and Envy wasn't making an effort to help. He was just sitting there, stiff as a board. Ed rolled his eyes. "You could _help_, you know. I know you can shapshift clothes too, so why don't you turn into somebody who wears two jackets?"

Envy glared down at him. "Keep that up, pipsqueak," he grated, "And either I'll stand up and leave you here, or I'll make you lick the wall, then drag you away from it until it pulls your tongue out."

"N. Sure...is that the best you've got?"

Envy sulked, finally relaxing slightly. "No. I've got plans to do terrible, unspeakable things to you. But this is pathetic, chibi-san. Pathetic. I had planned to do unspeakable things to the Fullmetal Alchemist. Not this...this mewling...cuddling...agh..."

Ed punched him with the automail arm. "When I can feel my fingers again, I'll rip your face off...bi-polar...cross-dressing...freakin' palmtree..."

Envy stiffened again. "PALMTREE? That's it, I'll-"

Ed whacked him again. "Just shut up and turn into somebody with more clothes on than a mini-skirt and a sports bra!"

"Y'know, chibi...I hear that peeling someone's skin off layer by layer warms people up _really_ well."

"You just try it, palmtree."

* * *

**Okay...craptastic ending. I think Trapped will pick up where this one left off...nope. No, wait. I just thought of something else for trapped. Dangit...*Sighs* SO MANY PLOT BUNNIES IN THE RANDOM GENERATOR! *Screams* Guh. Anyways...this one was extremely forced. And mum's begging for the laptop, so I'm off to bed now to dream of Edward and Envy brotherly fluff. ^_^ Probably some D'Artagnan whump too...see, you can tell I need to be sleeping and not typing right now xD**


	14. Trapped

**So...we sort of just finished moving, only we're not entirely done yet, soooooooo that's why I haven't updated. Anyways, so this has nothing to do with anything, but I might be getting two rabbits, both girls, and I need YOUR help to name one of them. One of them will autimatically be named Rori. So basically, send suggestions in your reviews because I told you to. *beams angelically*  
**

* * *

14. Trapped

Envy had known. He'd had a sick feeling in his stomach the moment the sparks had started. When the pain had come, it had confirmed his worst fears. Mentally, he was still cursing the alchemist who had drawn the circle, but was also cursing himself for being stupid enough to _step in it_. He vaguely wondered if this would be enough to kill him.

Slowly, sound was fading from the world. He was left curled, panting on the ground as the last spasms from the alchemy left him drained and weary. Recovery was going to come at a snail's pace, he thought, but it could still happen. When he tried to open his eyes, he found a spinning, dizzying landscape before him, filled with blurry images that he didn't recognise.

However, he _did_ recognise the scream that came from somewhere off to his right. It wasn't difficult to place, seeing as how it was his own voice.

"AGH! WHAT THE HE-ELL?"

Frowning, Envy shook his head to clear it and, with a groan of protest, forced himself to sit up. Head still swimming, he blinked hard before looking around for the source of the noise. Ah, there it was- a few feet away, Envy stood. Flailing, his arms pinwheeling and eyes wide with horror, mouth open in a shriek. He was pulling at his hair and dancing from one foot to the other, spinning around and looking at himself from as many angles as possible.

Wait. _What_?

Envy felt his own eyes widen.

It hurt almost as much as the alchemy itself had, but he reached up and grabbed some of his hair, pulling it forward so he could see the colour.

Gold.

Gold.

_Gold_.

He shrieked fit to wake the dead, his voice foreign and familiar at the same time. It wasn't his voice, but that of...of...oh _god_...it was the voice of...

"_You_?" he hissed, "Edward?" he leapt to his feet, advancing on the now-much-better-looking-in-his-opinion pipsqueak with a murderous glare. He siezed Envy- Edward- by the front of the shirt, features twisting even worse when he had to reach up a little to do so, and dragged him closer. "WHAT DID _YOU DO TO ME_?" he screeched, the sound of Edward's voice delivering the words only making him want to scream even more.

Envy-Ed actually paused for a beat, looking at him in a dazed sort of way. "You're..._me_." he said slowly, prodding Ed-Envy in the chest several times.

Wrong thing to say.

Ed-Envy kicked Envy-Ed in the stomach, letting go of him as he did so to send the other reeling back, then he used the automail arm, bringing it in a swinging arch to collide with-

Nothing.

"Damn. I forgot how agile I am..." Ed-Envy hissed.

Envy-Ed had gone back to looking at himself, apparently deciding that, since he wasn't the only one suffering, it wouldn't hurt to take advantage of this situation.

"Oh my god, Envy," he said suddenly, leaping out of reach the second he spoke, "I always _thought_ you were a girl...now that I know for sure, though..." he shuddered, dodging another grab, "Kinda scary, isn't it?"

Ed-Envy growled low in his throat, falling back into his usual stance; feet far apart, hands-on-hips, with his head tilted slightly upward so he could look down on his advarsary. It wasn't working. Envy-Ed did look mildly disgusted, though, so he supposed it wasn't a total waste. He huffed quietly, tossing his head and flicking his hair back. He could almost see the shower of sparkles beginning to fall from the sky. "Honestly _twerp_," he replied, "At least _I_ can shapeshift. You, on the other hand," he almost gagged, even as he said it, "You're _stuck_ like this. Geeze, what happened? Does this automail crap stunt your growth, or what?"

Envy-Ed pulled a face. "Stop making me stand like that!" he ordered, "You're making me look like..."

Ed-Envy grinned wolfishly. "If you look like a girl, it's your own fault. _Ugh_. What's up with this hair? You cosplaying Goldi-locks or something?" he purposely raised his voice in pitch by several octaves, "Both sets of normal limbs? Oh no, _no_, that's too mainstream. One leg missing? No, that's too lopsided. Arm and a leg gone?" he gasped in an exagerated fashion, "That's juuuuuuuuuuust right!"

Envy-Ed glared.

Ed-Envy glared right back at him.

Envy-Ed took a step forward, like he was about to attack.

Ed-Envy recoiled, holding his hands up carefully. "Oh no," he growled, "If I beat you to a bloody pulp while we're like this, I'll make _myself_ ugly."

Envy-Ed smirked wolfishly. "Good. Then you can just stand there-"

"Wait, wait wait wait wait. Wait." Now that the initial shock had worn off, Ed-Envy had started to work things through mentally, realising that, apparently, his wonderful homunculus brain was still intact. And he'd just realised something important. "Look, I want to rip you bits, chibi, I really do. But think about it. If I kill you, or you kill me, while we're..." he gagged, "Each other...how are we going to switch back?"

Envy-Ed looked horrified. "I am _not_ staying _you_ forever!"

Ed-Envy nodded, leaning back against a tree and examining his fingernails. He breathed a heavy sigh. "I know...and believe me...murdering you...excellent therapy and all, but really...I can't look like this. It's a disgrace."

Envy-Ed narrowed his eyes. "Pah. You've got it easy! I'M THE ONE WHO'S STUCK AS A FREAKIN' PALM-TREE!"

They stared each other down.

Ed-Envy finally worked up the nerve to say it. "Y'know, pipsqueak...I think...if we ever want to be..normal..again...we'll have to...work...together." he spit the words out like they were razours.

Envy-Ed looked about ready to keel over. "Actually...I think I could live with-"

Ed-Envy grabbed him by the front of the shirt and started dragging him away. "Shut up, chibi-san! I need to come up with a plan..."

* * *

**Yeh...this one's going to be a two-part...sorry this first one was so crappy...I'm trying to get back into the swing of writing FMA now that I've had this hiatus...moving...a real beach...grrr...but the next one should be better. And there will probably be two more parts to this one right here. So OH NOES! HOW ARE THEY GOING TO GET THEIR BODIES BACK?**


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